Scattered throughout Oceania’s distant western Pacific, Palau is an archipelago of greater than 300 jungle-clad islands the place life revolves across the sea. Its UNESCO-listed Rock Islands are a maze of limestone outcrops, hidden, emerald lagoons and mangrove channels — made for kayaking, snorkelling and gradual exploration by boat. Correct Robinson Crusoe stuff.
Nevertheless it’s what lies beneath the floor that actually units Palau aside. At Ngemelis Island’s legendary drop-offs — usually dubbed the ‘Underwater Serengeti’ — you’ll sail previous reef sharks, turtles, kaleidoscopic corals and swirling colleges of fish on exhilarating blue-water currents.
Add in ample probability for conservation, distinctive, pure wonders, and the possibility to do underwater ballet with majestic mantas, and also you’ve bought a unique vacation spot that blends bucket-list journey with real environmental stewardship. So, with out additional ado, right here’s a rundown of the easiest issues to do in Palau:
Glide with golden jellyfish
Floating in surreal Jellyfish Lake is a kind of uncommon, only-in-Palau experiences. Minimize off from the Pacific Ocean hundreds of years in the past, this sheltered and tranquil spot is now house to clouds of stingless golden jellyfish that pulse gently via the water, transferring with the daylight. Snorkel slowly and also you’ll end up suspended in a silent, sun-dappled world in contrast to wherever else on the planet.
Drift previous sharks, turtles and extra
Ngemelis Island’s sheer drop-offs are the stuff of legend — generally known as the ‘Underwater Serengeti’ — and reveals Palau at its wildest. Robust, clear currents sweep you alongside vertical coral partitions the place gray reef sharks and eagle rays cruise, turtles glide and huge colleges of snapper and barracuda flash in formation out within the deep blue. Whether or not you snorkel the shallows or dive down into the deeper depths — scuba tank connected in fact — it’s exhilarating, easy and teeming with life.
Develop giants on the reef
On uninhabited Ulong Island, conservation will get sensible. After snorkelling beneath the coral-encrusted Ulong Arch, assist place younger, farmed big clams onto the reef to revive native populations. These gargantuan shellfish — which may develop to 1.4 metres (4+ ft) and weigh 250 kilograms (550 lbs) — filter water and create habitats for different species — so planting one is greater than symbolic. It’s a hands-on approach to help Palau’s fiercely-protected marine sanctuary.
Become familiar with marine conservation
Persevering with with the conservation theme, a go to to the Coral Reef Analysis Basis brings science into sharp focus. Based again in 1991, the CRRF screens reef well being, research local weather impacts and even researches medicinal compounds in marine invertebrates like snails and tube worms. Assembly a resident researcher provides context to each snorkel — this can be a nation defending its waters with knowledge in addition to ardour. Seeing the sensible aspect of conservation firsthand makes you are feeling a part of Palau’s ongoing effort to safeguard its marine treasures.
Swim with majestic manta rays
German Channel — a man-made reduce via the reef — is strong manta territory. Nutrient-rich currents draw filter feeders to cleansing stations the place mantas circle slowly whereas wrasse go to work, cleansing parasites off these magnificent behemoths of the deep. Hover at a respectful distance and watch as their huge, winged silhouettes glide via open water. It’s calm, humbling and completely spellbinding. Seeing a number of mantas in a single dive or snorkel here’s a frequent incidence is — and one thing that by no means fails to encourage awe.
Dive into historical past on a sunken WWII wreck
Beneath Palau’s calm lagoons lie haunting relics of World Struggle II — a real-life underwater museum. A Japanese zero fighter airplane, shipwrecks and scattered artefacts relaxation in clear, shallow water right here, now draped in vibrant corals and patrolled by reef fish, moray eels, starfish, and extra. Snorkelling or diving these websites is equal components historical past lesson and marine safari — a vivid reminder of how nature will at all times reclaim and renew.
Soak within the mud of the ‘Milky Approach’
In a secluded lagoon aptly-known because the ‘Milky Approach’, boats drop anchor over pale turquoise water hiding positive white limestone mud. Scoop it up, slather it on and let it dry within the sizzling solar earlier than rinsing off within the shallows. Equal components spa therapy and silliness, it’s a light-hearted counterpoint to the high-octane reef motion. The mineral-rich and therapeutic mud leaves pores and skin comfortable, soothed, and glowing — and the expertise itself is one thing else completely distinctive to Palau.
Immerse your self in Airai Bai’s conventional tradition
Get an perception into Palau’s previous at sacred Airai Bai, the nation’s oldest surviving males’s assembly home. Greater than a century previous, this 21-metre-long (69 ft) wood construction rises steeply to a 12-metre-peak (39 ft) constructed from native timber and thatch atop a stone platform. Inside and outside, painted panels depict legendary scenes and symbolic motifs — together with delerrok, the legendary cash chicken stated to deliver success. Go to with a local people group and also you’ll expertise each conventional dancing and singing — and study it’s truly the senior girls who select the chiefs right here, quietly holding the actual energy.
Hike to Ngardmau Falls
On Babeldaob, Palau’s largest island, a jungle path results in the roaring Ngardmau Falls — the tallest waterfall in Micronesia standing at a whopping 30-metres-tall (100 ft). The stroll takes you thru thick forest and throughout small streams earlier than revealing a curtain of water plunging right into a cool, swimmable pool — the proper reward post-trek. It’s a refreshing change of tempo from the ocean and a reminder that Palau’s wild aspect isn’t solely underwater.
Paddle via wild mangroves
Kayak into Lengthy Lake, Palau’s largest, or Risong Bay and the temper shifts immediately. Mangrove roots tangle into the shallows, juvenile fish and child reef sharks flicker beneath the floor, and endemic birds name from the cover. These calm nurseries underpin the well being of the outer reefs — and exploring them quietly by paddle reveals Palau at its most serene. Distant and reduce off from the world, it feels such as you’re gliding via a hidden labyrinth for the primary time, discovering a secret nook of the islands nobody else has touched. Properly, count on from the occasional monitor lizard or land crab in fact.
Discover endemic feathered buddies
Hear up, twitchers! Ngermeskang Chicken Sanctuary in Ngeremlengui is a hidden haven for chicken lovers and anybody craving quiet immersion in nature. Paddle, hike, or wander via the undeveloped forest and swamps and also you may spot a few of Palau’s tweeting endemic treasures — from the hanging Micronesian imperial pigeon and the shy Palau floor dove to the colourful Palau kingfisher and the morning chicken, tutau. The nation has 12 species right here discovered nowhere else on the earth — so preserve your eyes (and ears) peeled in direction of the tree cover.
Hear Palau’s tales from the elders
Time ashore right here solely provides depth to the journey. In Koror, discover the Belau Nationwide Museum and the Etpison Museum to grasp Palau’s historical clan programs, conventional governance and Moana seafaring heritage earlier than heading out to the Rock Islands. Stroll via the positioning of an historical village on Ulong and find out how communities as soon as thrived right here. Palau’s conservation ethic isn’t new — it’s rooted in generations of stewardship, handed down via story, customized and follow.
Gradual it down in Koror
Koror would be the gateway to the nation’s many adventures, however it’s price lingering for a day or two right here. Sip an ice-cold Pink Rooster beer — brewed solely in Palau utilizing pure, tropical rain — tuck into recent tuna or taro at a waterfront restaurant with panoramic views, or just loosen up by the lagoon because the solar units and the moon rises. After days of salt and solar, it’s the proper place to reset, recharge, and take in the light rhythm of island life earlier than heading again out to sea.
Expertise the highlights of Palau on: Signature: Palau’s Rock Islands & Underwater Serengeti
